An inclinometer or clinometer is an instrument for measuring angles of slope (or tilt), elevation or depression of an object or surface with respect to gravity. It is also known as a tilt meter, slope gauge, gradient meter or gradiometer, level gauge or level meter, and the like, typically depending on the field of use or application. Although mechanical inclinometers have been known for a long time, the field of electronic sensor-based inclinometers and related instrumentation is relatively recent, where improvements in performance and reliability are continually being sought. Whereas advanced tilt sensors using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based components such as proof masses with electrodes, springs and fixed electrodes have been developed, there remains a need for electronic inclinometers that offer better performance, for example in terms superior sensor zero offset and sensitivity, sensor linearity, hysteresis, repeatability, and the temperature drift, in a cost-effective manner. Moreover, there is a further need for tilt instrumentation that permits fast and accurate measurements of inclination in both un-powered and/or low-powered conditions, thereby enabling deployment in a variety of applications.
As the advances in the design of integrated circuits and semiconductor fabrication continue to take place, improvements in semiconductor-based sensor technologies, including electronic inclinometers, are also being concomitantly pursued.